Tag Archive for 'comedy'

I just wanted to share this quote with you guys from Bill Hicks. He was the greatest comedian that ever lived in my humble opinion. Not the funniest, but definitely the most profound. He ended his 1993 special Revelations with this quote:

“The world is like a ride at an amusement park. It goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it’s very brightly colored and it’s very loud and its fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question: Is this real, or is this just a ride? And other people have remembered, and they come back to us, they say, “Hey – don’t worry, don’t be afraid, ever, because, this is just a ride…” But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok. Jesus – murdered; Martin Luther King – murdered; Malcolm X – murdered; Gandhi – murdered; John Lennon – murdered; Reagan… wounded. But it doesn’t matter because: It’s just a ride. And we can change it anytime we want. It’s only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings and money. A choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love, instead, see all of us as one. Here’s what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money that we spend on weapons and defenses each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace.”

Here is the link to a video of him closing the show with the quote, the way he says it is very powerful and gives me goose bumps every time:

I think that this is one of the most important things anybody has ever said. Bill Hicks was a comedian that was painted as vulgar and inappropriate by the media and critics. A lot can be gained in this world if people would listen to his comedy because they really are teachings and lectures on how to build a better world.

I believe that this life really is just a ride, as Bill put it. That is why I have never and never will take anything too seriously. Now, that outlook is very frowned upon by the people who control what happens in this world, the “movers and shakers” if you will. But, nothing is serious and nothing should be taken that seriously.

Am I saying you shouldn’t have works of passion? No.

Always be passionate about things you love, just don’t take them too seriously. If you love playing music and it is something you really enjoy, be passionate about it; devote yourself to it. But, if you have a guitar chord you can’t get right today or a stanza that is too complicated, don’t let it ruin your day because… it’s just a ride.

Always be able to leave everything you are doing with a smile on your face; because, you know what, it could just be the last thing you ever do.

So, if you are working a job you hate, and I mean really hate: get out. Do something else. I am a systems engineer and there are parts of my job that I don’t enjoy, but I have the freedom and time to pursue the things I love to do while I am here and I work around people that I enjoy. I am underpaid for an engineer because I refuse to work 80 hours per week and be on call 24/7 like the rest of the engineers on staff.

Now, is that a model for how somebody should live their life? Hell no.

Find the medium, find your balance and hold on to it.

If you keep throwing everything aside and keep doing things you hate doing so you can get the executive position when you’re 38, what will happen if you get hit by a bus when you’re 37 ½?

Now, some people love the grind of everyday work, like my dad. He loves being the problem solver at his work. He loves being able to be the guy on call that fixes a school’s network.

Just find what you are passionate about and be passionate about it, just don’t take it too seriously. That’s all I am trying to say.

Barry Holiday (aka Barry McLaughlin) is one of the funniest undiscovered gemstones in Hollywood. Besides being an amazing human being, a close personal friend, and a wine connoisseur/push up king, Barry also happens to craft the most delightfully absurd videos imaginable, and he’s been doing this for years.

Comedienne extraordinaire Sarah Silverman has just released this incredibly hilarious and profane video for The Great Schlep.

The Great Schlep is a movement aimed at getting young Jewish kids to fly down to Florida, visit with Grammy and Grampa, educate them on the necessity of an Obama presidency, and get them to cast their vote for the man.

(Yo, this is Sarah Silverman. I’m serious when I say it gets profane. That said, this is lovely, uplifting, and hilarious.)